1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connection structure of a connector used for connecting electric equipment.
Particularly, the present invention relates to a self-locating connector mounted on an instrument module installed on an automobile or the like.
2. Description of Prior Art
Conventionally, there has been known a self-locating connector that connects a body harness which is cabled in an automobile body with an instrument harness cabled to an electric equipment such as a meter, an audio apparatus or an air conditioner which is housed in an instrument panel or an under region of the panel (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 06-325823).
FIGS. 7 to 9 show the self-locating connector disclosed in the Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 06-325823.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a conventional male connector. The male connector 51 is equipped to the body of an automobile, for example. The male connector has a housing main body 510 having a rectangular solid shape, and male terminals are provided on the bottom surface of the housing main body 510.
FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of a conventional female connector device 60. The female connector device 50 has a female connector 52 and a bracket 53. The female connector 52 has a housing main body 520 having a rectangular solid shape. Female terminals are provided in the housing main body 520. Four stopper pieces 521 are provided at the end portions of the housing main body 520.
The bracket 53 is provided with elastic pieces 531, 532 disposed within an opening end portion thereof. The bracket 53 elastically supports the female connector 52 by the elastic pieces 531, 532 to position in the side of the instrument panel of the automobile, for example.
FIG. 9 is an exemplary view showing a state before fitting the conventional male connector and the female connector, and the male connector 51 as shown in FIG. 7 and the female connector 52 as shown in FIG. 8 are fitted as will be described below.
A certain amount of attachment error occurs when the instrument panel to which the female connector device 50 is attached is assembled to the automobile body to which the male connector 51 is attached.
However, in the self-locating connector of this conventional example, the bracket 53 directly attached to the automobile body supports the female connector 52 via the elastic pieces 531, 532, so that the female connector 52 displaces up and down, and right and left when fitting with the male connector 51 within a range that the elastic pieces 531, 532 can bend even if the attachment error occurs.
Specifically, even if there is a dimensional error within a certain range between the automobile body and the instrument panel, a nut 522 of the female connector 52 and a screw member 54 of the male connector 51 are screwed with each other and the female connector 52 and the male connector 51 can be fastened.
However, in the conventional self-locating connector, since bending of the elastic pieces 531, 532 absorbs the dimensional error between the automobile body and the instrument panel, it is necessary to obtain a large shape of the elastic pieces 531, 532 in order to increase an absorption quantity of dimensional error.
Further, the elastic pieces 531, 582 are made to contact the circumference of the housing main body 520 of the female connector 52 in a sliding manner, and thus fitting the male connector 51 and the female connector 52, so that the elastic pieces 531, 532 need to secure a predetermined strength and rigidity to a load into a fitting direction as well.
Therefore, the elastic pieces have too much design restrictions to increase the absorption quantity of dimensional error, and absorption of the dimensional error is limited.
Moreover, an impossible force, especially, a torsion force arising from bending stress and tensile stress by harness is applied to the male terminals and the female terminals depending on how the harness is cabled, and connecting-operation efficiency between the both connectors is impaired. Furthermore, reliability of connection between the male terminals and the female terminals also reduces.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a self-locating connector preferably applied for the instrument module, which is capable of increasing an allowable quantity or absorption quantity of deviation of positioning between the male connector and the female connector, improving the connecting-operation efficiency between the both connectors, and improving the reliability of connection between the male terminals and the female terminals.
The self-locating connector according to the present invention includes a first connector that houses the male terminals or the female terminals, a second connector that houses the female terminals or the male terminals, a support bracket that slidably supports the first connector, and a support bracket that slidably supports the second connector, in which one of the both connectors can be moved in approximate right and left directions when fitting the both connectors, the other one of the both connectors can be moved in approximate up and down directions, and thus an axial deviation (off-set) between the both connectors are automatically adjusted.
The self-locating connector of the present invention further preferably includes a locator that inserts the housing main body of the first connector inside slidably in an axial direction of the male terminals or the female terminals, in which the locator adjusts the axial deviation between the both connectors.
Further, the locator preferably has the housing main body, in which guide grooves formed by a positioning portion and a hooking nail are provided, rail portions guided by the guide grooves are formed on a support bracket that supports the first connector, and the housing main body of the second connector is provided with the guide grooves formed by the hooking nail and a guide portion, rail portions guided by the guide grooves are formed on the support bracket that supports the second connector, and movable mechanism of the first connector and movable mechanism of the second connector are made up of the guide grooves and the rail portions, respectively.
Further, it is desirable that at least a pair of locating pins, which have a slope for guiding the second connector to facilitate fitting of the second connector, be provided on the tip of the locator, and the second connector be provided with auxiliary locating pins having a slope that inscribes the slope of a pair of the locating pins.
Furthermore, it is also desirable that the locator be provided with a concave area, which is made up of a pair of parallel surface portions having predetermined dimensions in an axial direction followed by the slope, the second connector is provided with a pair of parallel surface portions followed by the slope, which contacts a pair of the parallel surface portions of the first connector in a sliding manner, and the axis core shift be automatically adjusted by the parallel surface portions formed on the both connectors before the fitting of the male terminals and the female terminals during a fitting operation of the both terminals starts.
Furthermore, it is desirable a lever, which has a handle operation portion and can move the first connector in an axial direction with respect to the locator, be provided for the housing main body of the locator, a cam groove that engages with a guide pin, which is provided for the first connector in a protruding manner, and cam grooves that engage with a pair of guide pins, which are provided on a pair of parallel surface portions of the second connector in a protruding manner, be formed on the lever, the locator rotatably support the lever, and the both connectors be fitted by rotating the handle operation portion.
Moreover, it is further desirable that a harness cabled to the first connector is cabled by being pulled out in a direction orthogonal to the movable direction of the first connector, and a harness cabled to the second connector be cabled by being pulled out in a direction orthogonal to the movable direction of the second connector.
Still further, the self-locating connector according to the present invention includes the first connector that houses the male terminals or the female terminals, the second connector that houses the female terminals or the male terminals, the support bracket fixed to the instrument module and that slidably supports the first connector, the support bracket fixed to the automobile body and that slidably supports the second connector in a direction orthogonal to the movable direction of the first connector, in which one of the both connectors can be moved in approximate right and left directions when fitting the both connectors, the other one of the both connectors can be moved in approximate up and down directions, and thus the axial deviation between the both connectors is automatically adjusted.